The 27 Club isn’t true, but it is real − a sociologist explains why myths endure and how they shape reality

Many members of the 27 Club are outsize in their cultural influence. Psychology Forever/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA by Zackary Okun Dunivin, University of California, Davis There’s a certain allure to the notion that some of the world’s brightest stars burn out at the age of 27. The so-called 27 Club has captivated the public imagination for half a century. Its members include legendary musicians Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. The idea is as seductive as it is tragic: a convergence of talent, fame and untimely death at a singular age. But is there any truth to this phenomenon, or is it merely a story we tell ourselves and each other about fame and youth? In our newly published research, my colleague Patrick Kaminski and I explore why the 27 Club persists in culture. We didn’t set out to debunk the myth. After all, there is no reason to think that 27 is an especially dangerous age beyond superstition. Rather, we wanted to explore the 27 Club to understand how such a myth gains traction and affects people’s perception of reality. Is the 27 Club real? The origin of the 27 Club dates back to...